To New Jersey Lawmakers:

New Jersey is one of the most underserved states when it comes to local news coverage, thanks to years of bad policy decisions and runaway media consolidation. But you can change that: The state just sold at least some of its public broadcasting licenses and could receive millions of dollars in return. We urge you to ensure that a portion of the proceeds supports strong local journalism and the information needs of communities around New Jersey.

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    Let's Fix the Local News Crisis in New Jersey

    Hundreds of journalists have lost their jobs.1 Television stations are going off the air.2 Fewer reporters are covering our schools and government meetings. Communities of color are stereotyped or ignored.3 If this crisis gets any worse, our communities will really be in trouble.

    It's not an exaggeration — there's a local news crisis in New Jersey and it's harming communities. But you can help fix it.

    The state recently sold at least some of its public-TV licenses in an FCC auction. These licenses could be worth millions of dollars. What if we invested some of that money in projects supporting strong local journalism and essential community information? This could help inform communities like yours for decades to come.

    At Free Press, we've launched a campaign4 urging New Jersey lawmakers to make this happen. But we need your help.

    Tell New Jersey lawmakers to fix the local news crisis.

    1. “Mass Journalism Layoffs in New Jersey Couldn't Come at a Worse Time,” Free Press, Sept. 16, 2016: http://www.freepress.net/blog/2016/09/16/mass-journalism-layoffs-new-jersey-couldnt-come-worse-time

    2. “WMGM-TV 40 Goes Dark on New Year’s Eve,” The Press of Atlantic City, Dec. 31, 2014: http://www.pressofatlanticcity.com/communities/northfield_linwood_somers-point/wmgm-tv-goes-dark-on-new-year-s-eve/article_f17f72e0-9128-11e4-9c04-8751dc6eefc9.html

    3. “What Would Atlantic City’s Story Be If It Were Told by — and for — the People Who Live Here?” Free Press, Dec. 7, 2015: http://www.freepress.net/blog/2015/12/07/what-would-atlantic-citys-story-be-if-it-were-told-and-people-who-live-here

    4. “An Auction That Could Transform Local Media,” The New York Times, Nov. 28, 2016: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/28/opinion/an-auction-that-could-transform-local-media.html?_r=0

    Original Photo by Flickr user Jon S